Re: [Monotone-devel] Re: Monotone - A couple quick notes

[Stephen Leake]

Thomas Keller <address@hidden> writes:

> Saying `mtn help <cmd>` is just one way, another is the `--help` (or
> short `-h`) option which can be put anywhere, also at the end of the
> command sequence. 

Cool! I never realized that. I've added a short mention of this in the
manual. 

>> * Globally unique branch names
>> 
>> The part in the manual 1.7.2 about requiring globally unique branch
>> names is highly disconcerting and does not fit the generally robust
>> presentation and positioning of Monotone.  I did not even want to
>> bother with a branch name at all on an initial trial setup, but it was
>> apparently required, and then to find they have to be globally unique,
>> extralong strings linked to some other random construct  (DNS?? what
>> does that have to do with my project files?) 
>
> monotone is all about global identity and it wants you to ensure that
> you put your contents (files and revisions) in a namespace that cannot
> be accidentially confused by somebody else and that you can always
> recognize wherever it is put. monotone can, by design, host many
> different projects in one single repository and without a clear branch
> naming it would be impossible to distinguish these different projects
> from each other.

The manual could be clearer about this; globally unique names are not
_required_, they are just a good idea.

Case in point; I started a local 'dvc' mtn branch, intending to "never
publish it". Then, 3 years later, people asked to have access to it, so
I had to "copy" it to a better branch name "emacs.dvc". mtn does not
support renaming branches; "copy" here means propagating, and keeping
the two branches in separate databases in general so they never mix.

So choosing a branch name can have long-term consequences, which is why
the manual just insists on it.

I've improved the section on branch names with this.

-- 
-- Stephe